Earlier in Ephesians chapter 5, the
apostle Paul talked about the darkness of the immoral
acts of the disobedient and the light indicating the fruits of faith that
reflect the light of the Lord. As he wrote about a contrast between
darkness and light (vv. 8-14), he now turns to the contrast between foolishness
and wisdom.
Be very careful, then, how you live-- not as unwise but
as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days
are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the
Lord's will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to
debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one
another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart
to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for
everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:15-20)
Here Paul directs the Ephesian Christians to
evaluate how carefully they are walking spiritually. The Greek in verse 15 means
how a person walks in their faith or conducts their life. The present tense
indicates that they continually need to look at how they are living their
faith. Paul encourages these Ephesian believers to live not as unwise,
but wise people. Such wisdom only comes from fearing and trusting in the Lord.
Paul encourages us to make the most of our
opportunities. We might call this a spiritual “carpe diem.” We should
make the most of our opportunities to live a sanctified life in Christ or share
the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul advises us not to act like the fool who
not only misses opportunities to make use of his time, but also fails to
understand God’s purposes for mankind and for Christians. The foolish
person has no strategy for life and misses opportunities to live for God in an
evil environment.
For examples of foolish thinking versus wise
thinking, check out some of the Proverbs (foolish -- 10:1, 14:1, 15:20, 17:25,
19:13; wisdom – 2:6, 8:11, 13:10, 23:23, 29:3). The Christian walks in
the full light of the gospel. Christian wisdom makes the most of its opportunities.
To be wise means more than to know, but to use, apply, and get the most
out of our spiritual walking and the management of our life. Paul urges
us to invest in every spiritual opportunity because the days are evil.
God’s people are encouraged to make use of
their reasoning power. Getting drunk on wine is just one example of how a
person can lose control of their thinking. In A Linguistic Key to the Greek
New Testament Fritz Rienecker records that in Philo’s treatise entitled “On
Drunkenness,” he illustrates drunkenness generally as a mark of the blind and
foolish man who is a slave to the material world. Others state that
drunkenness causes people to lose their self-control and forces them into
committing many distasteful acts.
Instead, Paul encourages them to be filled with
the Spirit. Take note of the contrast between being filled with wine or
being filled with the Spirit. You
are encouraged to be under the influence
of God’s control rather than excessive and immoral living. Verses 19-20 speak
of specific ways you can show your desire to live according to the Lord’s will.
Sharing psalms, singing hymns, making music in your heart, and giving
thanks to God for everything are some ways believers can allow themselves to be
continually filled with the Spirit (see Colossians 3:15-17 for some additional
insight into the verses of this text).
Comments
Post a Comment